Swimming is an excellent form of exercise as it works almost every muscle group in the body. As a result, it is important to stretch after each swim session to maximize muscle recovery and reduce the risk of injury. While swimming really is a full body workout, there are a number of areas where you will feel the impacts the most. This article focuses on stretches for swimmers for: The shoulders, triceps, chest, upper back, legs & neck muscles.

It is also a good idea to incorporate a dynamic stretch routine before each swim to make sure the body is warmed up appropriately.

Here are our recommended stretches for swimmers:

Starting with your shoulders:

Posterior Shoulder Stretch for Swimmers

1. Stand or sit with chest up and head in neutral position.
2. Bring your right arm across your chest and pull it over to the left at shoulder level with the left hand.
3. Hold for 30 seconds.
4. Repeat on the other side.

Moving onto your triceps:

Tricep Stretch

1. From a standing or sitting position, raise your right hand up over your head.
2. Bend the right elbow and grasp the right elbow with your left hand.
3. Gently press down on your elbow until you feel the stretch along the right trice
4. Hold for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Next we’ll move into chest stretches for swimmers:

Mid Pectoralis Muscle Stretch for Swimmers

1. Stand with your right side facing a wall or door frame.
2. Put your right hand up on the wall, thumb facing up, at shoulder level.
3. Slowly rotate your trunk to the left until a stretch is felt.
4. Hold for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat this on the left.

Lower Pectoralis Muscle Stretch

1. Stand with your right side facing a wall or door frame.
2. Put your right hand up on the wall overhead, thumb facing up.
3. Slowly rotate your trunk to the left until stretch is felt
4. Hold this for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat this on the left side.

Next we’ll focus on the upper back:

Lat Stretch

1. Stand facing a wall or pole about three feet back.
2. Put both hands on the wall as high as you can reach, one hand on the other.
3. Step back with one foot.
4. Let your chest sag toward the floor while maintaining your hand position.
5. Hold for 30 seconds.

Upper Pec and Anterior Deltoid Stretch for Swimmers

1. Stand tall with your chest up.
2. Reach behind and grasp both hands behind you.
3. Pull your shoulders back and shoulder blades together.
4. Lift your hands away from you with arms straight.
5. Hold for 30 seconds.

Next we’ll move to leg muscle stretches for swimmers:

Quadricep Stretch

1. From a standing position, grasp your right ankle with your right or left hand behind you.
2. Pull your foot up and your knee back, don’t let your knee fall out to the side
3. Hold for 30 seconds.
4. Repeat this on the left side.

Hamstring Stretch in Standing

1. Stand and face a chair or table.
2. Put your foot up on the chair.
3. Keep your chest up and back straight.
4. Bend forward at the hips until you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh.
5. Hold for 30 seconds.
6. Repeat on the other side.

Calf Stretches

1. Stand about three feet from a a wall and put your right foot behind you ensuring your toes are facing forward.
2. Keep your heel on the ground and lean forward with your right knee straight.
3. Rotating the toes in and out slightly will target the medial and lateral parts of this muscle separately.
4. Hold for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat both of the above on the left side.

Hip Flexors Stretch

1. To stretch the right hip flexors kneel on your right knee and put your left foot in front of you such that your left hip and knee are about 90 degrees.
2. Put your right hand on your right hip and push your right hip forward so that it is in front of your right knee.
3. Keep your chest up and don’t bend forward at the hips.
4. Hold for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat this on the left side.

Long Hip Adductors

1. Kneel onto your left leg or simply squat down on the left.
2. Place your right foot in front of you to assume the lunge position.
3. Slide your right foot out to the side and place both hands on the floor in front of you.
4. Try to straighten the right knee and lean your body forward while relaxing your hips.
5. Rocking the hips forward and back will  change the pull slightly to get all long adductors.
6. Hold for 30 seconds.
7. Repeat this on the other side.

Short Hip Adductors

1. The quickest way to stretch the short adductors is to stretch them both at the same time in sitting.
2. Sit on the floor with feet together, knees bent.
3. Gently apply pressure to  your thighs as you lift your chest up and bend forward at your hips
4. Try to maintain a neutral pelvic position. (Don’t bend at the waist and don’t let your tailbone roll under)
5. Hold for 30 seconds.

Lastly, stretch out your neck:

Neck Stretches

1. Sit or stand with your chest up and looking straight ahead.
2. Gently push your chin back while looking straight ahead(so that you have a double chin)
3. Keep your head upright, don’t look up or down. Keep eyes facing forward.
4. While holding your chin back with one hand, use your other hand to reach over the top of your head.
5. Stabilize your chin back as you gently pull the top of your head forward. This is a tilting motion.
6. Hold for 30 seconds.